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Prospect Gausman impresses Showalter

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Kevin Gausman retired all four batters he faced in an inning of intrasquad action Thursday at Ed Smith Stadium, and he continues to impress in his first Major League Spring Training.

"You can see why everybody thinks so highly of him," manager Buck Showalter said of Gausman, the O's first-round pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.

"He's got a great delivery and does a lot of things to make himself successful. The changeup he has should play better at higher levels. He's one of those guys who looks real comfortable on the mound."

Gausman, who is ranked by MLB.com as the O's No. 2 prospect, said he was throwing mostly fastballs. The right-hander struck out Lew Ford and Chris Robinson, and L.J. Hoes -- who praised Gausman's velocity upon returning to the dugout -- grounded out to second base. Gausman stayed out on the mound to collect a fourth out to get his pitch count up to where it needed to be.

"It's definitely good to kind of get that out of the way," Gausman said of his first inning in a game situation this spring. "Now I can focus on not having those jitters. I know I'll have some jitters when there are actual fans out there. That's normal. It was definitely good to get that out of the way and good to have guys behind you and not be throwing so many bullpens."